


One Bad Night

by bklynlow77



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 18:44:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13642257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bklynlow77/pseuds/bklynlow77
Summary: Taako, a stripper at a local club, is mugged after walking home one night. If not for the help of a friendly stranger, who knows what could have happened.





	One Bad Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first TAZ fic and I'm not totally sure of it, but what do I know. I only wrote 2000 words of crap after coming home at 1am, so what do I know.
> 
> There is an assault attempt, but nothing more, which is why I didn't tag it as rape/non-con. Someone does get beat up pretty badly, but he's okay in the end. It's a happy ending, I promise! I love both these characters don't particularly feel inclined to harm them, ya feel?
> 
> Also obviously I don't own them. These aren't my boys!

Taako didn’t know how long he’d been working here.

He knew it’d been a while. Someone had to pay Lup’s hospital bills until they figured out what put her in this coma. Working as a line cook during the day at the diner paid some, but minimum wage couldn’t buy health care. 

On the other hand, people paid handsomely for his hips and thighs, his lips and fingers, his neck and legs. A few hours and he brought in more than several months of working that greasy shithole. Even if it wasn’t necessarily the club paying him handsomely, it was the eager tippers desperately tossing increasingly large bills toward his twisting frame as he slipped out of thin skirts and roughly buttoned blouses.

Taako didn’t mind stripping, really. He had killer legs, for one, and nothing accentuated them like fishnets. The degrading comments while he danced for the umpteenth time to Pour Some Sugar On Me passed over him like water at this point. They were almost like compliments, if he ignored most of the content. And he usually got out before sunrise anyway to go home and wash off as much glitter as he could before getting back to the diner.

It was around four when Sazed finally let him out this time. He finished his shift with a resounding show, the kind where he would hook his thumbs under the strings of his thong as a coy hint while winking at one lucky contender. The club wasn’t full nude, yet people went wild for it every time like he would break the rules and flash them some dick. He didn’t, of course, but it always brought in a nice stack of twenties. Suckers.

The curtains around the stage closed as Sazed’s oily voice poured over the club, promising another night tomorrow. Taako rolled his eyes and gathered up bills and discarded clothing, moving back to the grimy dressing room to get changed.

Magnus was standing back there already dressed to go. “Hey, man. Sorry about this, but I have to go now or else Jules is gonna kill me. Get home safe, okay?”

Taako waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Get out of here, homie. Don’t let those saps know you’ve got a pissed wife at home. Or maybe do. It’s probably one of those sad fucks’ kinks.”

He laughed resoundingly and zipped his leather jacket. The jokes lessened the gross factor, if nothing else. “Whatever, creep. See ya.”

The others were already gone, leaving Taako alone. He didn’t mind changing in front of them, obviously. Any shame he had went out the window with his practical heels and integrity. Baring your ass to a room packed with strangers every night did that to a guy. Still, it was nice to pretend he had privacy.

Usually he’d get dressed in sweats or jeans and a sweatshirt before going home, but tonight he was so fucking tired it wasn’t even worth it. Besides, he had to wash this crap at some point.

So he kept on the fishnets and stilettos. They looked great on him anyway. He didn’t keep the flimsy skirt, obviously, but a much more practical one, and a big sweater. With the braid he would have argued he looked borderline cute, if not for the massive bags sitting under his eyes and sallow pallor. But those were permanent; there wasn’t much he could do about them at this point.

He always left through the back. Sazed said he didn’t want people to see dancers leaving the front, because it would ruin the illusion or some bullshit, but Taako didn’t care. If no one knew he was doing this, he’d be fine. Besides, few of the customers knew the back entrance, so he got less heckling. It was fine on stage but at least leave him alone when he was off the clock.

It was a fifteen minute walk back to his apartment, then a ten minute shower, shitty breakfast, and work by six. He could already smell the crappy hash browns, and he hadn’t even made it home.

During the walk, Taako felt a shift. He couldn’t explain it, not really, but it was there. 

Someone was following him.

He cursed under his breath and quickened his pace. Probably just a drunk patron leftover from the club waiting to sneer at him and throw ragged slurs.

He casually checked his purse, and cursed again when he realized the pepper spray he usually kept tucked safely away in there was gone. He’d given it to Angus the other day when the poor kid was scared to walk home alone.

Taako risked a glance over his shoulder, quick as lightning, and felt his pulse rise. It wasn’t one drunk but three, lurching after him. They jeered when he turned and began the catcalls.

“C’mon, baby. Why don’t you come home with us? Got a nice warm spot right here.”

“We don’t bite. Why don’t you come find out, baby? Put those long legs in action and walk a little closer.”

“I got something for the pretty little lips. Come on over, sweetheart.”

Bile rose in his throat, and he quickened his pace. He’d dealt with it before, obviously, but not when he didn’t have his pepper spray. The guys were just sick creeps, anyway. 

He was ten minutes from home but already regretting taking back streets instead of the main road. Sure it was slower, but even at this time there were usually some cars. Here it was just Taako.

Then, as though his night was fucking awful already, his ankle twisted under him. He’d worn these shoes a million times at least, had danced in them every night for months, and only now stumbled over his own toes and went down.

Taako got up fast, but not fast enough. The three closed around him, reeking of booze and sweat. His hand closed around his phone, “I’ll call the cops, don’t you fuckers doubt me.” It was dead, but he hoped they couldn’t tell.

They just laughed, and a thick cloud of alcohol messed with Taako’s head. Or maybe it was the panic that sent him spinning wildly. The men began to reach haphazardly for his skirt and sweater, clumsy fingers failing to grasp a hold on anything.

One of them did manage to snag his purse and yanked it away, hard. He grabbed for it desperately thinking only of his twin and the money he needed to pay yet another bill. There were too many tips in there for him to lose all of them in one go like this.

His sister on his mind, Taako swung at the guy, clocking him square in the jaw. He reeled back, clearly not expecting the blow, before hitting Taako right back. The sharp tang of copper indicated a bloodied lip.

The other two rounded on him then. Taako thought of Lup while he crumpled under the punches and, after he fell, kicks.

Before he blacked out he heard the screech of tires and a shout, but he was too far gone to care.

 

When he came to there was a cool wind blowing through the tufts of hair his braid failed to contain. He groaned and rubbed at an eye before wincing. It was clearly bruised, that much he could feel. Not swollen shut though. Taako righted his neck and looked around.

He was in a car, that much was obvious. The window was rolled down, bringing in waves of fresh, cold air. He gulped it down greedily, thankful to be breathing at all.

Then came the next issue. It didn’t seem to be a cop car, which was nice, but he didn’t know whose car it was. It was nicer than Merle’s or Magnus’s, and it would be a whole slew of other issues if it was Lup driving. Taako risked a glance at the driver and felt a mix of emotions. Grateful it wasn’t the dicks from before. Fear of the complete stranger driving him somewhere he didn’t know.

The man driving noticed he was awake and cleared his throat. “I’m glad you’re up. It would have been a bit awkward to explain this to the ER.” He spoke with a cordial Cockney accent and seemed wholly sincere.

Taako squinted over at him. His chauffeur had smooth brown skin puckered with fresh bruises and cuts, and was looking between him and the road anxiously, like he wanted to make sure Taako was okay but didn’t want to get in a car accident. “Hey, what’s your name, thug. Don’t make me punch you in the dick.”

He looked thoroughly startled before saying, “Uh, Kravitz. You can check my license, if you don’t believe me.”

It worked for him. “Alright, next point of order. Are you kidnapping me or can I get out now?”

“Er, I actually was going to see if you might want to get breakfast. It’s the least I can do for you, after, uh, that.”

Breakfast? Christ, what time was it? Taako checked the clock on the dash and sighed in relief. It wasn’t even five yet. He could still get home and shower before his shift.

Still, back to the topic at hand. “Yeah I was kind of hoping you could fill me in there. I seem to have taken the world’s worst nap at the world’s worst time.”

“Well, uh,” Kravitz began, “I was driving to this diner anyway, and I saw you. I didn’t think you wanted those guys around you, so I decided to help out. And now I’m treating you to breakfast because you deserve food.”

Taako hummed. “Did you get my purse back? Not that I won’t accept the free food, but I do still need my money, you feel?”

“It’s by your feet,” Kravitz said. “So you’ll accept breakfast?”

“Sure thing, my man. Don’t need to be at work until six.”

They lapsed into a more comfortable silence, which Taako was eternally grateful for. Not that this Kravitz guy didn’t seem good or whatever, but he didn’t really feel like talking. What he really wanted was to go home and scrub away his skin until it was raw and peeling, then climb into bed for a twenty hour power nap. He wanted to burn his clothes and hide away under blankets. But for now, breakfast would suffice.

 

And what a breakfast it was. Certainly not the world’s best omelette, but such a comfort nonetheless. And the coffee was a dire necessity if he really was going to work in an hour.

Over the course of the meal Kravitz eventually lost his accent. When Taako commented on it, he watched Kravitz’s ears go red. “I panicked when you woke up and chose that accent. I wish I hadn’t.”

That only caused Taako to laugh hysterically over his eggs. “What, you save a guy’s ass and then panic he’s gonna recognize your voice? That seems a little extra, my dude.”

Kravitz laughed a bit at that, hiding it behind a hand. “Not my shining moment.”

“You could say that again.” Taako stood up and cracked his neck before sticking a hand out to Kravitz. “There isn’t a shot you might give a guy a ride home, is there?”

Kravitz smiled and left a small stack of bills on the table, enough for the bill with a hefty tip. “I don’t see why not. Is there a shot I get a name before I get your address? I’m a little old fashioned when I rescue people off the street.”

Taako smirked. “It’s Taako, baby. The one and only.”

 

The drive home was considerably more comfortable. Taako didn’t live too far away, so it wasn’t much of a hike. He found out Kravitz was a doctor, aka the reason for the crazy hours. He didn’t ask more than that, worried that if he asked which hospital it would raise uncomfortable questions.

When they reached Taako’s stoop, he sighed. “Alright cabbie. This one’s me.” He opened the car door, then paused. “Now, is this a two ships passing kind of sitch or am I gonna score a number?”

Kravitz when red again. “I didn’t want to be presumptuous, Taako, but I’d like that quite a bit. Er, the second one. Your number, that is. Please”

Taako snorted and scrawled it out on a receipt in his purse. “Don’t lose it, bubula. That’s Taako time right there. Liquid gold.”

He shut the door before Kravitz could say anything more and tapped the hood twice, winking, before walking in.

It was one bad fucking night, that much was true, but maybe some good came of it. His phone pinged, indicating a new text from an unknown number, and he stretched into a smile and a roll of the eyes. Yeah, something good came from it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) Comment if you want a follow up or if I should write a different, maybe nicer fic? I'm a sucker for taakitz fluff, so I might go into some hardcore snuggles. I'm also a sucker for fics from taako's pov, so ya know. Maybe I'll do a kravitz pov next? Ahhh! Comment whatever y'all want.
> 
> And come yell at me on tumblr about taz, or most other things! @toastyzuko


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